Chapters Quill's Journal (a.k.a. The quest to save time)
-15 years ago-
Night had fallen in Manehattan, but everypony within the city were still awake and active. Ponies shopping, eating, working, it wasn't a wonder that the city was named the sleepless city. However, at that moment, something strange happened, specifically at the Manehattan Orphanage.
At around 10:39, a mysterious blue shed had appeared next to the building, unnoticed by the ponies rushing by in taxi carriages. Almost instantly, the doors opened to reveal a mysterious pony. An earth pony stallion to be precise. His coat was creme colored and his mane was chocolate brown and quite messy from under a pair of goggles strapped to his head. He had watches up both of his front legs and wore an unbuttoned black dress shirt over a white t-shirt, unusual attire for a pony.
His dark grey eyes searched the streets like a chimera would an apple pie. The blanket- wrapped bundle he held in his right hoof seemed to squirm and wriggle in his grasp.
"Hush now, you'll be there soon."
he whispered, his voice rich with a Trottingham accent. His words calmed the bundle somewhat, but whining could still be heard. With a small sigh, he walked up to the front door of the orphanage and placed the small bundle down, stroking it like a parent to it's child. With one last hush to the bundle, he knocked on the door. Hoof steps were soon growing louder as someone came to the door. Not wanting to be seen, the stallion turned to leave, but not before saying 5 words. 5 words that was a promise for the small bundle to keep.
"Make your mother proud. Firework."
As soon as he was a safe distance from the door, it opened to reveal a pony with blonde curls, pink coat, and two roses for a cutie mark.
"Oh my goodness! How did you get here sweetheart?"
the pony asked, scooping the small bundle in her right hoof. As she went inside, a small, tangerine face peeked her face out from under the blanket and squealed, her red eyes tearing up as the door closed.
The stallion sighed in sadness and turned to the shed, where a tan unicorn with a brown mane and red and green streaks was waiting, her striped scarf blowing in the breeze.
"Are you okay?"
she asked in concern, putting a hoof on the stallion's shoulder.
"Yeah. I'm fine. You know how I am with letting go, it just felt wrong leaving her there by herself."
the stallion said sadly. The mare nodded in understanding.
"I know. But Wisteria said it was for the best that she comes to our time period, and the dangerous tasks in the time stream that we do for the princess is not safe for a filly."
the mare answered.
The stallion sighed again.
"I know, and now we've done what needs to be done. Let's just go May."
he said, walking into the shed. May opened her mouth to say something, but instead closed it again as she followed the stallion into the shed.
"Sure Doctor Whooves. Let's go."
Quill's Journal (a.k.a. The quest to save time)
chapter 1: The neutral dream
'...Merry Trotter couldn't help but cringe at the sight of her aunt and uncle when she emerged from the painting passage, with cousin Doodad hiding behind Uncle Pencil Scribe in fear.
"Well, come on! We don't have all day!"
Aunt Violet Dream screeched, grabbing Merry's suitcase to take to a waiting taxi outside.
Merry turned to Pawn Easy and Harmony Major and sighed.
"Well, guess this is goodbye until next semester."
she said.
"Try to visit this summer! Okay?"
Pawn asked, giving Merry a ginormous hug as he spoke. Harmony joined the hug a moment later.
"Try to have fun this summer Merry."
she whispered.
"Don't worry!"
Merry grinned, as she followed her aunt out into the open skies of Canterlot.
"I will."'
Quill sighed in relief as the last words were written, putting down her pencil in triumph.
"Finally done. Now I can finally send it to A.K Yearling for editing."
she said proudly, as she gathered the last pages and put them face down. in a growing pile in a cardboard box. She then took the pile and flipped it over so the first of the 312 pages she's written could be seen.
With a satisfied nod, she sealed the box and wrote the address on the top, complete with a stamp.
"Good, now I'll just have to find Derpy and get this sent."
she thought out loud, picking the box up in her hooves while flapping her wings.
She began to gently flutter out of the room and into the hallway, where she nearly bumped into her roommate and friend Firecracker, who looked pretty under the weather.
"Oh, sorry Firecracker! I didn't see you there!"
Quill said, setting the box next to her. Firecracker grimaced and turned away, putting a concerned look on Quill's face.
"Are you okay?"
she asked.
Firecracker shook her head.
"No, I barely got any sleep last night and it's drivin me crazy!"
she complained, her voice still having it's Manehattan accent. Quill nodded her head in understanding.
"Was it a bad dream?"
she asked. Firecracker shook her head again.
"That's just it! I don't know what kind 'o dream it is. It wasn't bad and it wasn't good either."
she said, rubbing her eyes with her hoof. Quill raised her eyebrows sympathetically.
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
she asked. Firecracker sighed and shook her head.
"It's a'right Quill. It ain't nuttin to worry 'bout. I probably just ate one to many chocolate bars before bed last night."
she answered, her voice not supporting her statement.
Quill thought a moment. She could tell that this dream was bothering her friend, but she didn't want to bother her about it. Firecracker's been living with her for over 5 months, so Quill knew not to bug Firecracker about any problem she could be having until the unicorn was ready to talk. Quill suddenly smiled as an idea crossed her mind.
"You know, I was just going out to mail this to A.K Yearling, do you wanna come along? We can visit Time Turner and Ash Brush too."
Quill suggested, picking up the box once more. Firecracker shrugged her shoulders.
"I guess. It might help take my mind off things. 'Kay, let's go."
With a grin, Quill began to fly down the steps, with Firecracker following close behind.
As soon as they stepped out of the house, Quill could tell that the fresh air they felt calmed her city born friend somewhat. As they walked, she relished in the memory of when Firecracker first came to Ponyville. 'She was so curious. So confused. Now she knows it like the back of her hoof.' Quill thought to herself, as Firecracker opened the door to the post office for her.
After dropping off the package, Quill linked arms with Firecracker and began to flap her wings in excitement as they traveled to Gear's Galore, Time Turner's clock shop and home with Ash Brush. The first thing that caught they're eye was the colorful sign on the door, most likely Ash's work. Everypony was overjoyed when Ash finally got his cutie mark, a paint brush with black paint on the tip. As soon as they walked in, a small grey blur rushed to them and hugged them both tightly.
"Firecracker! Quill! It's great to see you!"
Ash said with glee. Quill smiled and gave a tight hug back. Firecracker ran he hoof through his mane and pushed his glasses back up his nose.
"It's great ta see ya too Ash. I see that ya've been working on that talent o' yours."
Firecracker said with a slight grin. Ash blushed slightly, unused to the praise he was getting.
His response was interupted when Time Turner walked into the room, his smile no longer foreign to the ponies. Quill gave a grin in return as she hugged her friend, his hooves embracing her for the first time in over a week.
"It's great to see you."
he whispered.
"You too."
Quill answered. Ash gagged while Firecracker rolled her eyes in amusement. Quill broke the embrace and blushed a bit, embarassed by er friend's thoughts. Turner simply shrugged and lead the group by the fireplace in the shop, where lemonade and chocolate chip cookies lay waiting.
"So, you finally finished that book of your's?"
Turner asked Quill, as he bit into his cookie. Quill nodded as she took a sip of lemonade, satisfied that Turner remembered the sugar this time.
"Yeah, I just mailed it to A.K Yearling for editing."
Quill confirmed, her face twisting into a grin. Turner smiled back and even gave a small clap in congradulations. Ash then looked up at Firecracker, who was levitating a glass of lemonade with her magic.
"How are you doing Firecracker?"
he asked. Firecracker shrugged her shoulders.
"Is Rarity giving you fair pay?"
Turner asked, earning a nod from the unicorn. Quill quickly whispered the story of the neutral dream to the two colts, much to Firecracker's dismay.
"I told ya dis mornin, I'm fine! It was jus' a dream."
Firecracker protested. Quill suddenly went serious for the first time in a long time.
"Remember how dreams lead us to the Badlands to stop Chrysalis? Remember how dreams helped us go to the correct future? Remember how dreams helped us learn who your MOTHER was? If this dream wasn't good or bad, then it must mean that the new danger is coming!"
Quill explained.
Firecracker sighed. "Fine. I'll tell ya."
Quill's Journal (a.k.a. The quest to save time)
Firecracker sighed as she looked at her friends, all of their eyes wide in concern.
"Well, like I told ya Quill, it wasn't a bad dream, but ain't a good one either."
she started, racking her brain for more information. Turner nodded, setting down his glass of lemonade so he could listen properly. Ash moved forward and hugged Firecracker again, trying to lighten the mood.
Firecracker sighed and hugged back before continuing with the story.
"Well, when it started, I was back with Wisteria, in my real time, just before that weird pony took me away. I could here my mom singing that lullaby, even after the pony took me away, I could still hear that song, haunting me as I was brought into this weird blue shed, with another unicorn inside. I could feel and see everything, like I was watching from above, seeing exactly what happened. I watched myself being put on the doorstep. And then, everything went black."
Firecracker explained, putting understanding looks on everypony's faces.
"No wonder you thought of it so neutrally. It wasn't a dream. It was a memory."
Turner pointed out, causing Firecracker to nod her head.
"Yeah, but I don't understand why it's happenin now. I've known about my past and about my mom for 5 months now. Why is it now I'm all of the sudden dreaming about it?"
Firecracker thought aloud, cocking her head in confusion. Ash thought a moment.
"Maybe it's a sign or warning! Don't you three have weirdly awesome time exploring mojo?"
he asked, gesturing his hooves into the air as he pretended to be a super hero. Quill rolled her eyes in amusement.
"We used to Ash, but ever since Chrysalis was defeated, the magic disappeared. It was only a gift given to us by the tree of harmony to help us on our quest, like the elements to the mane 6."
Quill explained, as she turned to Firecracker.
"Although, Firecracker, you still have connections to Wisteria. Have you spoken to her about the dreams?"
Quill asked in concern. Firecracker sadly shook her head.
"Nope, I haven't seen her in weeks. She said somethin about strange happenins in the Etherial Plain."
Firecracker explained, lowering her head at the mention of her ghostly mother. Turner raised an eyebrow.
"What's going on?"
he asked. Firecracker shrugged.
"Ya guess is as good as mine. She didn't tell me anytin other than what I just told ya."
she said, putting concerned looks on everyone.
-Meanwhile in the Etherial Plain-
Wisteria panted as she ran through the foggy depths of her haunting home, her eyes widened as she watched what was chasing her. Her breath was quick and shallow, and ectoplasm dripped down her face like sweat. In her haste, she quickly levitated a shadowy tree out of the ground and threw it behind her, trying to slow down her pursuer. The attacker merely broke through it as if it were a twig and carried on, drawing closer and closer.
Wisteria felt her misty body fade little by little. She was losing energy. She couldn't run for much longer. With a terrified gasp, she stopped in her tracks and turned to face her pursuer, who was cocking their head in interest.
"There. I stopped. Are you happy now?"
Wisteria asked, panting as her body began to return to normal. The pursuer gave a light laugh, causing Wisteria's back to prickle.
"Indeed. I merely wanted to speak to you Wisty. It's been awhile."
they scoffed, making Wisteria flinch, but then straighten her face in anger.
"Do not call me that."
she ordered through her teeth.
"Why not? It's your name."
they replied with a smirk. Wisteria glared at them.
"It was the name YOU gave me. It isn't the name I was born with. That honor goes to my mother."
she spat. The pursuer laughed.
"Ah yes, the great Fire Lily the Mage, how would she react if she saw her daughter now!? An Etherial Rogue, living in the shadows as a widowed mother to that hooligan of a daughter?!"
they cackled, causing Wisteria's shadowy blood to boil.
"Don't you DARE speak of my daughter THAT way! Don't forget that my magic is still as powerful as it was when I was alive! Either tell me what you've come for, or I'll send you to burn on the sun!"
Wisteria threatened, her horn glowing bright green. The pursuer clucked their toungue.
"Tsk tsk Wisty, your worst than Starswirl the Bearded! But, I may as well humor you. I came for the spell! The spell that you stole from me!"
they said, pointing accusingly at Wisteria.
Wisteria's eyes widened.
"No! Not THAT spell! Even when we created it, you never hoped to use it! It has enough power to send Equestria into a never ending time loop! The universe could shatter! Everypony would die!"
Wisteria shouted, her magic brightening with each word. The pursuer smiled mischievously, as if remembering an old joke.
"I know, that's why I'm taking you out of the picture entirely!"
they cackled madly, as their horn glowed purple and green in the darkness around them.
Wisteria immediately began to shoot beams of magic at them, which were deflected rather easily. They then continued to move closer. Wisteria backed away quickly, trying as hard as she could to get away from them, but to no avail as she felt dark magic envelop her. Her last thought was her plan B for this situation. She shut her eyes tightly as she sent a message. A telepatic message to friends of her's. Friends that were now needed. She then squeezed her eyes even tighter as she preformed a teleportation spell, trying to pull herself out of her enemy's grip. With a small pop, she was gone. The pursuer smiled. They had weakened Wisteria a great deal. She wasn't a threat anymore. The book was theirs.
With that, the pursuer walked casually toward Wisteria's library, blowing the door down with magic. They grinned madly as they leafed through each book, giving a squeal of delight when they found what they were looking for.
"Oh don't worry Wisteria. I'll take good care of it. And who know's, maybe I'll get time to visit our daughter."
they said, as they pulled down their hood to read the text more properly, revealing the chipped, battered, but very alive Sombra as he opened a book of old memories, hoping to create new ones.
Quill's Journal (a.k.a. The quest to save time)
"Hey Firecracker! You okay? You've barely touched your hay burger." Quill pointed out, gesturing to the unicorn's untouched plate.
The gang was sitting in a booth at the Hay Burger, all of them enjoying a pleasant dinner and a couple laughs. Firecracker however, had other things on her mind. She could hardly concentrate on a thing such as EATING.
"I've just been thinkin 'bout my mom. She told me dat the etherial plain was the safest place in the UNIVERSE for her! If it's in danga...I would neva forgive m'self if somethin happened to her." Firecracker replied, depression clear in her voice.
Turner smiled and patted Firecracker on the shoulder.
"Don't worry Firecracker. Don't forget Wisteria was trained by Clover the Clever, who was trained by Starswirl the Bearded. Not to mention she was a castle shaman for a period of time. She wrote the BOOK that helped us get through that quest. She'll be fine." he assured her, making the unicorn's tensed up shoulders relax a bit.
"Yeah! I bet whatever's up there is getting their flank totally BLASTED by her right now!" Ash added, his voice muffled from all the food in his mouth.
Turner rolled his eyes in disgust. "Ash, keep your mouth closed when you're chewing." he scolded.
"Sorry." Ash apologized, before closing his mouth from under his brother's glare.
"Besides Firecracker, we've got BIG things to worry about too. Like that mysterious pony we're supposed to help in the future for example." Turner said, changing the subject almost immediately.
Quill nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. It's been almost 5 months and there hasn't been any sign of anything weird in Ponyville. I've even asked my parents and cousin to keep their eyes on things in Cloudsdale and Trottingham and they've seen nothing out of the ordinary." she said, nibbling on one of her horseshoe bites as she did.
"Our parents as WELL as the princesses have been checking on things in Canterlot too. Nothing." Turner put in, Ash nodding in agreement.
"And, not to mention dat Turner can't see da future anymore now dat our timewalkin powers are kaput. So now we don't even know what da pony looks like! Neva mind what da threat is." Firecracker added, her hoof to her head in frusteration.
Quill nodded as she took another bite out of her burger. "For all we know, it can just be Chrysalis again and we have to get her back to...wherever it was we sent her..." Quill said, trailing off as she reached a question.
"Say, guys? What exactly did we DO to Chrysalis when we used the amulet of balence on her?" she questioned out loud, putting confused looks on everypony's faces.
"I...don't know." Turner answered.
"Good riddance says I." Firecracker replied, as she (finally) took a sip of her milkshake.
Before anypony could say anything else, they heard a boom outside, un noticed by everypony else in the restaurant.
"What da hay was dat?!" Firecracker cursed, getting up from her seat almost immediately.
"I dunno, but it doesn't sound good!" Quill replied, spreading her wings as she rushed to the door.
"C'mon! Let's go check it out!" Ash called as he ran out the door, the rest of the gang following close behind.
"HEY! You forgot the bill!" the restaraunt owner called, glaring in their direction.
Turner stopped in his tracks and turned around, a calm look on his face. He walked up to the counter and placed some bits on the surface, bowing his head slightly as he did.
"Thanks for your service." he said calmly.
"TURNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Oh yeah, sorry guys!" he called, as he ran out the door to join his comrades.
"So...anypony know what we're looking for?" Ash asked boredly, making Turner sigh as he carried Ash down the road.
"For the 3rd time Ash, no! All we heard was a loud boom and that was it." he answered, making the younger pony huff slightly.
Quill rolled her eyes and looked at him from where she flew above.
"But that doesn't mean we should let our guard down. If whatever's out there is the mysterious pony OR the danger that comes with said pony, we need to stay alert, be prepared for anything..."
Boom!!!!
"...well I wasn't prepared for that."
"Guys! My magic's pickin up two pony lifeforms over DAT way! We're gettin close!" Firecracker called, pointing toward the Everfree Forest as she did.
Quill groaned. "Of ALL the places to crash something, it HAD to be the Everfree Forest." she complained, making Turner nod slightly in agreement.
"Aw c'mon guys! Where's your sense of adventure? Let's go!" Ash called, sliding off Turner's back and running to join Firecracker's speedy trot as he did.
"I-bu-gee-I...UGH! Never mind." Turner said with a huff, making Quill giggle as they ran to catch up with the unicorn and young colt.
"Hmm, I spy something...blue..."
"Ugh, can it May! I'm trying to concentrate!" Doctor Whooves called, scolding his partner from inside the shed, which was smoking quite a bit. His words were replaced with coughing as more smoke sputtered out.
"Ooh! I spy something...broken." May teased with a smirk, making Doctor Whooves glare at her with a soot covered face.
"Ugh, don't you have anything better to do than make fun of my repairing skills? How's our patient doing?" he asked, wiping soot off his face as he did. May's smirk turned to a light smile as she thought out her answer.
"She's holding up pretty well. She lost quite a bit of energy following us, but my magic was able to heal her a bit." May explained, making Doctor Whooves sigh in relief.
"Thank Celestia! With luck, once I get the shed repaired, we'll be able to report this to the Princesses." Doctor Whooves said with a smile, before diving back into the shed.
May's smile quickly turned to a frown as a new sound filled the air. "D-Doc? Did you hear that?" she asked, earning a shaking head from her partner.
"Nope. Why?"
His question was soon answered when four ponies burst into the clearing, one of which was bearing a grimace on her face at the sight of them, more specifically at May and the figure next to her.
"And what in da name of Tartarous is goin ON HERE?!"
Quill's Journal (a.k.a. The quest to save time)
chapter 4: The Doctor is in
As soon as she saw the two ponies, she saw the body next to them. A body slightly faded and unconcious. Her mother. As soon as that information registered, Firecracker was furious.
"Wha HAPPENED?!"
she screamed, making the earth pony flinch slightly. The unicorn stepped forward, no tremor in her voice as she spoke.
"She got hurt, what does it look like?"
she asked, her sarcasm feuling Firecracker's anger even more. She felt her horn grow hot as magic built up, ready to be used if the time arose.
"I can see dat little miss obvious, but ya didn't answer my question! HOW did she get like dis?!"
she said, her hooves leaving dents in the ground as she walked. Quill and Turner began to feel slightly scared.
"What-what's going on with her?"
Quill asked out loud. Ash turned to them, a slightly less scared look on his face.
"She gets like this whenever she's angry. Her magic and strength go a bit out of control."
he explained, shuddering slightly.
Firecracker didn't hear them however, as she moved closer to the two mysterious ponies.
"I'm waitin!"
she said.
The earth pony shuddered slightly as Firecracker's horn began to get a black tinge.
"She-she sent us an alert from the Etherial Plain and teleported herself on board. We're doing everything we can, I swear!"
he explained quickly, making Firecracker calm down somewhat.
"Ya'd better! Or I swear da last breath she takes will also be your's!"
"I think we're going a bit off track here."
Quill finally spoke up, making everyone give her a look of confusion.
"I mean, shouldn't we KNOW who these ponies are before giving them death threats? I mean, c'mon Firecracker, where are your manners?"
she asked, making Turner facehoof and Ash roll his eyes. The mysterious unicorn however, seemed unphased by the strange comment as she took a few steps closer to the group.
"At least SOMEPONY is being reasonable. It'd be rude to die and not have a properly named tombstone."
she said with a smirk. Firecracker dug her hoof into the ground slightly.
"Don't test me!"
she hissed. The unicorn backed up slightly.
"Touchy, touchy! Anyway, I'm May and this is my future nephew Doctor Whooves!"
she said, ruffling the mane of the stallion next to her as she did, her scarf blowing into his face.
Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Nephew? But you look almost the same age."
he commented, earning a warning look from his brother. The earth pony (Doctor Whooves?) rolled his eyes.
"After a few wrong turns in the time vortex, I sped up my aging a bit. I'm supposed to be 10 YEARS younger at least."
he said, making May giggle slightly.
"Yeah! He's a real child at heart."
she gushed, making Doctor Whooves growl slightly.
"Do you REALLY think this is the best time to talk about my age!? We have a real issue to attend to here!"
he said, gesturing to the unconcious body of Wisteria as he spoke. Firecracker walked slowly to her mother's side, tears threatening to escape her eyes.
"We really are doing what we can. She was pretty banged up when she got on board."
May said, her voice gentle for the first time. Firecracker turned away, giving Turner time to move in before Firecracker could say something uncalled for.
"So, Doctor Whooves said time vortex. Does that mean you two are... time travelers or something?"
he asked, making the mysterious ponies nod in confirmation.
"Yep. Personal time agents to Princess Celestia. We're the ones that take care of issues OUTSIDE of what the naked eye can see."
Doctor Whooves explained, making Ash's eyes widen. "So, you save the world and travel through time and stuff? Like super heros?"
he asked, striking a super hero pose as he did. May laughed as she nodded again.
"Yeah. It's actually pretty fun when there isn't something trying to kill you."
she said casually, making Quill all the more excited as she began to pull a notepad from her saddle bag.
Turner shot her a warning look.
"Don't...even...think about it."
he whispered, making Quill sigh in frusteration before sliding the notepad back in.
"So, if you guys are time travelers, and know Wisteria, does that mean you...know about the prophesy?"
she asked, her voice taking on a serious tone. The mysterious ponies looked at each other in confusion.
"Prophesy? Wisteria never told us about any prophesy. If she did, we would have remembered."
Doctor Whooves replied, bringing a hoof to his mouth in thought.
Quill raised an eyebrow, but didn't pry.
"Well, supposedly, according to Wisteria, the Tree of Harmony had shown her two prophesies. One was about defeating changelings, which we did over 5 months ago."
Quill started, putting an amused look on May's face.
"Welp, that explains the weird bug pony we found on Venus."
she said with a giggle, putting embarrassed looks on the other pony's faces.
"So DAT'S where she went."
Firecracker thought out loud, speaking up for the first time since she sat next to her mother.
Quill nodded before continuing.
"That apparently was a test for us to pass to see if we're apart of an even BIGGER prophesy. Wisteria told us that if we succeeded in the first quest, that we'd be worthy of helping an important pony in the future defeat a new enemy. Judging by how you never knew about it, either the prophesy hasn't happened yet, or you guys aren't involved to begin with."
she explained, making the mysterious ponies shrug.
"We're sorry. We wish we could help you more, but we never even KNEW about this prophesy until now."
May said, a hint of genuine sorrow in her voice. Turner sighed as he dug his hoof into the ground.
"If only there was a way to find out EXACTLY what Wisteria meant. Or at least what the important pony looks like."
he said, shutting his eyes in dispair.
Doctor Whooves looked at him before a smile emerged on his face.
"You know...even though our time machine's a bit busted, we're still pretty good with history. If you want some help looking for information, we wouldn't mind helping you."
he said, May nodding in agreement. Quill smiled at those words.
"That would be great you two! Thanks!"
she said, the other ponies smiling as well, except for Firecracker, who simply shrugged her shoulders as she began to levitate her mother's body onto her back as the group prepared for departure.
"I'll just go grab some stuff from the machine and then we'll be good to go!"
Doctor Whooves said, as he climbed into the shed once more, his shirt sliding up slightly to reveal his cutie mark.
Turner felt his heart skip a beat as he saw the mark, his eyes widening in shock.
'Th-that doesn't make any sense...how...h-how is that possible?'
he thought to himself, his chest tightening slightly. The cutie mark. The cutie mark belonging to this time traveling, hyper aged stallion, was an hourglass...the exact same mark as his own.
